National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1887-07-05
Tile Original Declaration of Independ-


The rough draft Of the Declaration of
Independence, in Jeirerson's handwriting,
was signed by all the member Of the Con-
tiuental Congress. This paper, after being
signed, was revised aud a number OF
changes made before It was resigned and
made public on the ith Of July.
The most marked omission from the
original draft was the closing paragraphs of
the Indictment drawn against the king.
They read as follows, italics and ''small
caps" being marked in the manuscript:
He has melted reasonable insurrectious OF
cur fellow.citi2cns, with the allurements OF
forfeiture and conhscation of our property.
He has wsged cruel war against human nature
itself, violating its most sacred rights of life
bnd liberty in the persons of q distant people
who never offended him, captivating and
carrying them into slavery in another hemls
Iherc or to incur miserable death in their
transportation thither. This plratical war
fare. the opprobrium of infdd powers, is the
warfare of the CHRISTIAN king of Great
Britain. Determined to keep open market
where MEN should be bought and sold, he has
Irostitued his negative for suppressiug every
legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain
this eSecrable commerce: and, that this as
f6mblsge OF horrors might want no fact of dis
tineuished dye, he is now exciting those very
people TO rise in arms among us, aud to pur.
chase that liberty Of which he has deprived
them by numbering the people upon whom he
also obtruded them, thus paying of former
crimes committed against the liberties of one
people, with crimes which he urges them to
commit against the Tires Of another.
1t is useless TO speculate as to what
would have been the result had these words,
written by a stakeholder, been per nltted
to remain in paper most OF the signers of
which were Shareholders, but 1t cannot be
doubted that II they had been retained
slavery would not have been permitted to
exist in the colonies after they had achieved
their independence.
One thing is proven by these words, and
that is that Jefferson was not believer in
slavery, nor, in fact can we imagine that
The Lees and Carroll and Harrison and
Wythe and Rutledge and Livingston aud
The other distinguished men owning slaves,
who signed the paper containing these words,
could believe and justify themselves In
keeping "open market where MEN should
be bought and sold" when they SO heartily
condemned the Christian king of Great
Britain for so doing.
The defenders or slavery IN the past have
been in the habit OF justIfying IL by appeal
ing to the action OF the men who signed the
great charter OF our liberties, which says
that "all men are created free and equal"
ard yet themselves held black men as
slaves. The claim was that these men,
whose words and acts will pass "down the
corridor Of time" as among the boldest and
bravest recorded, dill not believe that
"black men" were included when they de-
clared "all men are created free and equal"
This claim can no longer be made. The
signers Of the Declaration Of Independence
did include 'all men" when, in the fervor Of
patriotism, they first signed the declaration.
But, "alas, for the rarity" not of "Chrlstian
charity" but OF human courage and high
purpose, even these men, great as they were
and great as the results Of their work have
been, were not proof against the incentives
u: seli-interest, and allowed their high pur-
poses and grand aims to be turned aside by
the paltry considerations Of money.
What this republic is, because OF the
mutilated declaration, the world knows.
What It would now be II the declaration
had remained as written we can only con-
lecture.
"of all sad words Of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these, N NIGH hare bssa.'"